Signs It’s Time To See a Chiropractor For Your Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain can affect everyone. In fact, eight out of ten adults have experienced lower back pain throughout their lives. The pain can range from dull and constant aches to sharp and sudden pains. Self-care including maintaining proper posture when sitting can improve symptoms. When these acute symptoms persist after weeks, however, consider searching online for a licensed chiropractor “near me.”

Instead of treating consistent and intense lower back pain with over-the-counter medications, a visit to your local chiropractor can be a safer and more effective treatment method for your lower back pain. Treating your lower back pain early can prevent permanent damage caused by chronic lower back pain.

You Sit For Extended Periods of Time

Lower back pain doesn’t just stem from a traumatic physical injury. Sometimes, sitting for extended periods of time, especially hunched over a desk, can take a toll on a person’s spine. Sitting for too long in misaligned positions can gradually alter the normal curve of the lower back. This misalignment leads to stiffness and nerve interference which can cause neck and lower back pain. A chiropractor can detect imbalances in the body and correct them with specialized techniques.

You’re An Athlete

Athletes of all ages and skill levels with back pain can benefit from visiting a chiropractor. Contact sports, especially, can lead to sports injuries including back muscle pain. Athletes can especially be prone to soft tissue injury. If the pain you’re feeling is coming from hard tissue instead of soft, muscular tissue, you may need to visit a chiropractor. Injury to soft tissues including muscles can be alleviated with massage therapy, but treating injury to hard tissue necessitates spinal adjustment or any other treatment performed by a licensed chiropractor.

You Have a Pinched Nerve

You may also need to visit a chiropractor if you have a pinched nerve. A pinched nerve feels like a sharp pain that worsens with certain movements. Other symptoms include numbness and prickling sensation in extremities. A pinched nerve can be caused by bone or hard tissue that’s intruding into space naturally occupied by the nerve. Chiropractors will identify the location and cause of the pinched nerve and reposition the bone or muscle to ease tension on the nerve and allow it to function properly. Pain that permeates from your lower back down your legs can suggest sciatica pain due to irritated nerves.

Other Treatment Hasn’t Worked

You may need to visit a chiropractor if no other treatment has worked for your lower back pain. Whether it be massage therapy, heat therapy, or any other type of treatment, you have found no relief. A chiropractor will develop a specific treatment plan on a case-by-case basis and include a comprehensive and holistic approach to treating your back pain.

Pain is usually an indication of inflammation that’s going on inside the body which can be caused by joint, muscular, nerve dysfunction or misalignment. Lower back pain, specifically, can be caused by a variety of factors including improper lifting, poor posture, and poor fitness levels. While lower back pain rarely indicates something is serious, people should seek out treatment well before the lower back pain gets worse.